The present invention relates to software applications. More specifically, the present invention relates to the user experience with voice command software applications.
The distance between the human voice and computing systems is rapidly growing shorter. For example, speech recognition is a standard feature on most current mobile devices. The state of technology is such that there is very high accuracy in transcribing the human spoken word into an ASCII text representation on a mobile device or computer.
Voice based software applications are similarly becoming much more commonplace. Such commands can be found on mobile devices and computers, in automobiles, etc. In a voice command system or application, just as with mouse and keyboard inputs, some types of commands, for example, those that could result in destruction of data, or have patient safety implications, might warrant additional confirmation steps to ensure the user actually wishes to carry out the action, while other, non-destructive or non-safety related actions may not require such confirmations.
Studies have shown that under stress, user's ability to fully process a decision is impaired. In the healthcare environment, where decisions that are made may affect patient safety, the need to ensure that decisions made by a user take into consideration alternatives and potential negative affects is critical. As voice command applications become more prevalent in healthcare facilities, there exists a need to protect against the system responding to a decision made by a user under stress that may have catastrophic results.
As indicated above, systems may require a user to confirm command when the result of the command is deemed to require confirmation. There are currently no known systems that take into consideration the level of stress that the user may or may not be under when commanding the system to take such action.
In some of these situations, the ability to seamlessly and quickly bypass confirmations or quickly require additional confirmation may be desired or needed. There currently is no way for the system to adapt to the situation and to adjust the information it is asking of the user.
However, it could be argued that the amount of stress that the user is experiencing should perhaps act as a moderating variable in the equation, as high stress levels can potentially affect a users ability to effectively make decisions.
Therefore, there exists a need for a method for integrating a user's stress levels into a voice command system or application. This and other needs are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.